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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · cabinet · calf · degree · object · pop

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cell — a phone
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — a thing
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pop — music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pop — soda
  17. object — an aim
  18. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com